Robotic interventional systems and devices are well suited for use in performing various surgical, diagnostic or other medical procedures, as opposed to conventional techniques requiring a surgeon's hands to directly access internal organs. The benefits of robotic interventional systems are well known.
FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a robotic catheter manipulator (“RCM”) 16 coupled to a medical tool 50. Typically, the medical tool 50 consists of a medical device 52 and one or more drive mechanisms 54 and 56. The drive mechanisms 54 and 56 allow a user controlling the RCM 16 to manipulate the medical device 52. Details on various drive systems are discussed below as well as in the commonly assigned patents and application referenced herein. In any case, the drive system or systems 54 (and/or 56) allow axial movement of the medical tool 50 along the RCM 16 as well as articulation of the medical device 52.
FIG. 1B illustrates the inner mechanisms of a conventional RCM 16. As shown, the motors 30 of the RCM 16 are affixed to the RCM 16 and convey rotation via a driver system 32 (including gears, belts, pulleys, and cables, and various other driver means to drive interface sockets 34 on the RCM 16. The interface socket 34 receives a portion of the drive mechanism of the tool engaged allowing motion to be transferred from the motors 32 ultimately to the medical tool 50. However, this configuration presents various challenges. In one example, rotation of the mechanism 54 about an axis of the RCM 16 requires a rotation of the motors 30 as well as the entire RCM 16. In addition, replacing a failed motor 30 requires significant servicing of the RCM 16 due to the complex interrelation of the various gears, belts, pulleys, and cables.
In addition, due to the complexity of the robotic system, it is difficult or impractical to attempt to sterilize the entire robotic assembly. Instead, the medical team establishes a sterile field over or adjacent to the robotic system. In one example, the sterile filed comprises the area above the drape, while the robotic side of the drape comprises a non-sterile environment. During such robotic procedures, it is common for the surgical team to place a sterile drape over the robotic assembly and then attach one or more sterilized tools onto the robotic assembly over through the drape.
The surgical tool must break the sterile barrier when it engages the non-sterile robotic assembly. This affects the ability of the surgical team to exchange surgical tools during a procedure. If the team wants to replace the surgical tool with a second tool, because of the tool's contacts with the non-sterile robotic assembly, the surgical tool is no longer sterile and cannot be re-installed. Clearly, this shortcoming hinders the surgical team when the use and reuse of surgical tools would be beneficial to an improved procedure.
One conventional method of overcoming this problem the addition of a sterile adaptor that is placed over the surgical drape. The sterile adaptor allows coupling of a surgical tool with the robotic assembly without breaking the sterile barrier. Currently used sterile adapters however have been complex assemblies that are costly and cumbersome.
There remains a need to provide a robotic assembly (or components for use in the robotic assembly) that allow for removal and replacement of surgical tools without breaking the sterile barrier while reducing the complexity of any sterile adaptor. There is also a need for a robotic system that offers simplified and modularized exchange of surgical tools while maintaining or even increasing the functionality of the robotic system by, for example, maintaining precision control of the surgical tool, preserving portability of the tool so that surgical team can replace various tools during a procedure, as well as increasing the ability of the tool to interact with the patient.